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Goodbye to the New Deal: The great Democratic coalition is now down to two constituencies
The American Spectator ^ | 4/28/2008 | William Tucker

Posted on 04/28/2008 2:32:49 AM PDT by Aristotelian

I don't want to sound too optimistic, but it appears that, in a year when the Democrats were supposed to make their triumphant re-entry into Presidential politics, we may be witnessing the final demise of the New Deal.

The Pennsylvania primary was a clincher. Obama has two constituencies -- African Americans and college-educated liberals. They're both passionate bloc voters and will turn out in droves. But their numbers are limited. They'll give Obama Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Illinois, and maybe California and Oregon, but that will be about it.

Hillary's votes come from the Democrats' other constituency -- blue-collar workers, Catholics, and people without a college education. Catholics rejected Obama by 70 percent. That's scary. Catholics have been a core constituency for the Democrats since the days of Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion. If they drift over to the Republicans -- as they were doing under Ronald Reagan -- there's very little left in the Democrats' portfolio.

I've just been reading Amity Shlaes's The Forgotten Man, a revisionist history of the New Deal. It's a wonderful effort and makes it clear that, although the Roosevelt Coalition was the greatest single voting bloc in American history, it was also cobbled together from very disparate elements.

Most important, it was led, for and aft, by East Coast intellectuals and university professors. The New Deal was hatched in academia and among left-wingers who had made pilgrimages to the Soviet Union. But they had the people on their side. The Republicans had messed things up hideously and there wasn't any reason not to try something new. Herbert Hoover caved to the Republican Midwest-and-manufacturing coalition to pass Smoot-Hawley and what could have been just a bad downturn became the Great Depression.

(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...


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This is one of the better reads that I've come across lately. Reading the full text is well worth the time.

Tucker concludes that the Democrats have now whittled down to two constituencies -- African Americans and liberal intellectuals.

Most important is the author's observation that McCain will win over the same blue-collar voters that Hillary is now getting with her attacks on Obama. Hillary, in other words, is laying the foundation for a McCain victory. You gotta love it!!!!!

1 posted on 04/28/2008 2:32:49 AM PDT by Aristotelian
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To: Aristotelian
we may be witnessing the final demise of the New Deal.

Fear not, the RINOs in the Republican party are waiting to carry the banner.

And full blown Stalinism is what the democrats are about these days. The "new deal" was simply "fear of commitment".

2 posted on 04/28/2008 2:37:06 AM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: Aristotelian
But Republicans are team players -- they know how to lose gracefully and close ranks. Huckabee just announced he will be campaigning for McCain this fall. It was a perfect Republican gesture.

This guy doen't know many FReepers!

3 posted on 04/28/2008 2:50:57 AM PDT by gridlock (Proud McCain Supporter since February 8, 2008.)
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To: Caipirabob
And full blown Stalinism is what the democrats are about these days.

You're right. Also, environmentalism is an elaboration of Stalinism -- it began as a series of riffs on Rachel Carson, as auxiliary arguments for a command economy based on perceived "failings of capitalism". There are a couple of good essays out there that show that history -- metasearch on keywords "Maurice Strong" and "Rio Conference".

The idea of Rio was to attract liberal and leftist pols to the Green cause and show them the potential of environmental issues to carry them into power again after the Thatcher/Reagan-driven recessional of Leftism. Rio was organized in 1992, so the Left allowed no grass to grow under its feet after the fall of the Soviet Empire, but promptly counterattacked.

4 posted on 04/28/2008 2:52:02 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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To: Aristotelian
" ... You gotta love it!!!!! "


As a Conservative, I must say that there is absolutely nothing to love about any one of these three imbiciles.

In fact they are all without any social redeeming value.

That would, by definition, be one of the examples in defining pornography.


Got any extacy to go with these whores?

5 posted on 04/28/2008 2:54:22 AM PDT by G.Mason (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: G.Mason

I wholeheartedly agree. McPain is nearly as bad as Hil-bama. I only love the irony that a Democrat, Hillary, is doing a Republican’s, McCain’s, legwork.


6 posted on 04/28/2008 3:04:56 AM PDT by Aristotelian ("Sock it to me!" Judy Carne)
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To: Aristotelian
Good article. Amity Shlaes's The Forgotten Man is a great book. Couple it with Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism and they will blast apart everything you think you know about the first half of the 20th Century in America (they did for me at least).
7 posted on 04/28/2008 3:07:19 AM PDT by TheWasteLand
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To: G.Mason; Aristotelian

” ... You gotta love it!!!!! “

“”As a Conservative, I must say that there is absolutely nothing to love about any one of these three imbiciles.””

You beat me to it.
For me, now that I am safe and out of the US, I don’t think it is worth my effort to cast an absentee ballot.
All three are a train wreck. It just depends on which way you want to die.


8 posted on 04/28/2008 3:08:41 AM PDT by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia. Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
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To: Aristotelian
Hillary's votes come from the Democrats' other constituency -- blue-collar workers, Catholics, and people without a college education.

Prior to Texas she had no constituency, now she's a contender. Operation Chaos is working!

Unfortunately.

9 posted on 04/28/2008 3:10:24 AM PDT by Rudder (Klinton-Kool-Aid FReepers prefer spectacle over victory.)
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To: TheWasteLand
That sounds like an excellent summer reading program. Thanks for suggesting them!
10 posted on 04/28/2008 3:27:23 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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To: Aristotelian
" I wholeheartedly agree. McPain is nearly as bad as Hil-bama. I only love the irony that a Democrat, Hillary, is doing a Republican’s, McCain’s, legwork. "


Not picking on you Aristotelian.

I'm afraid we have all been taken for a ride.


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

11 posted on 04/28/2008 3:40:18 AM PDT by G.Mason (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: AlexW
Train wreck indeed.


Can we count on you to come back for the clean up? ;)


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

12 posted on 04/28/2008 3:47:09 AM PDT by G.Mason (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: Rudder

Hillary may have the Little Sisters of The Rich Pro Abortion wing of non Catholics, Catholics who for some reason enjoy telling others they are Catholic. Sort of like John Kerry, who when he ran in 04 was forbidden from receiving communion by Bishop Baker, formerly of the SC diocese.


13 posted on 04/28/2008 3:52:53 AM PDT by doosee
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To: G.Mason

“Can we count on you to come back for the clean up? ;)”

Not likely.
Considering that the populace of the US has been dumbed down to this level tells me that there is nothing worth cleaning up for. :((


14 posted on 04/28/2008 3:53:51 AM PDT by AlexW (Reporting from Bratislava, Slovakia. Happy not to be back in the USA for now.)
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To: Aristotelian
It all sounds good.

But the unfortunate fact is that we will likely end up with a liberal administration (calling itself Republican) with two very chagrined factions snarling at it's heels for the entire four years (or so).

The most likely result will be an even more liberal McCain presidency and an even more isolated (and ticked off) conservative base.

15 posted on 04/28/2008 4:02:42 AM PDT by norton
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To: doosee

My ex-wife is one of those. Catholic in Name Only (well they do like the ritual at Christmas).


16 posted on 04/28/2008 4:07:57 AM PDT by Rudder (Klinton-Kool-Aid FReepers prefer spectacle over victory.)
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To: Aristotelian

A good read but I find it hard to believe Obama will win Mississippi.


17 posted on 04/28/2008 4:10:19 AM PDT by libertylover (How does enabling Mrs. Clinton or Obama help The United States of America?)
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To: norton

A McCain administration would likely resemble that of Gerald R. Ford and Nelson Rockefeller. And what did that spawn? Ronald Reagan.

Hope springs eternal.


18 posted on 04/28/2008 4:14:01 AM PDT by Aristotelian ("Sock it to me!" Judy Carne)
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To: AlexW
I don't like to face it, but you are correct.


Still ... should some choose to go out fighting ... I wont to be with them.

They best be quick about it though. As a child of the '40's & '50's, times a wasting.


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

19 posted on 04/28/2008 4:15:07 AM PDT by G.Mason (Duty, Honor, Country)
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To: gridlock
This guy doen't know many FReepers!

I think he's specifically talking about "country club" Republicans. They do indeed know how to loose, in fact I think some of them like being in the minority. They were for 40 some odd years and seemed to enjoy it until Reagan came along. The 2006 election was a good example of the phenomena.....

20 posted on 04/28/2008 4:25:48 AM PDT by Thermalseeker (Silence is not always a Sign of Wisdom, but Babbling is ever a Mark of Folly. - B. Franklin)
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